Singers Anthony Wong Yiu-ming and Denise Ho Wan-sze show their support at the launch of the "Big Love" gay rights campaign at the Legislative Council in Tamar, Admiralty, yesterday. The campaign, which will span 18 months, aims to educate the public on a sexual minorities discrimination law, which gay rights groups have called on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's administration to introduce. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Openly gay singers Anthony Wong Yiu-ming and Denise Ho Wan-sze have added their names to a campaign trying to garner support for sexual minorities.

They unveiled their "Big Love" crusade yesterday, along with lawmakers Cyd Ho Sau-lan and Raymond Chan Chi-chuen, after it emerged the chief executive would not include a public consultation on a sexual minorities discrimination law in his maiden policy speech next week.

The South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that Leung Chun-ying aims to tackle "livelihood matters" ahead of the consultation, according to a government source.

The 18-month campaign will feature short film and photography competitions, books with stories from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community, and seminars in which legal and religious experts will explain how the law would work.

Ho said a public education campaign was needed to counter bigoted messages being spread by conservative groups.

"Our biggest enemy is irrational arguments. We hope that through our campaign, we can use clear and logical explanations to ease the public's concerns," Ho said. "Then we can gather more people to apply pressure on the chief executive."

News of the omission of the consultation came after Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Raymond Tam Chi-yuen in November said the government was "open-minded" about such a law, and that Leung would "give more details" in his policy address.

Chan, who is openly gay, said: "I don't understand how the government can stand firm on issues like the elderly allowance … but cave at the slightest pressure on the consultation."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Big names help launch ‘Big Love’ crusade